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The 2018-19 domestic football season came to a close after Liverpool won the UEFA Champions League. But Barcelona and their talismans featured prominently throughout the football action that took place during the year.
Barcelona won the LaLiga this year but that title felt a little underwhelming after their scorching defeat at the hands of Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals. Also, they lost the Copa Del Rey final to Valencia, which meant that the Blaugrana ended their season on a low.
This was Lionel Messi's first season as the full-time captain of Barcelona, but it wouldn't really be considered as a success by many. Talks of Ernesto Valverde facing the sack have also emerged, but for the moment it looks like Valverde will continue as Barcelona manager for the next season.
That said, the way Messi played during the course of the season, many believed he was the front-runner to win the Ballon d'Or. But now with Virgil Van Djik, Cristiano Ronaldo and Bernardo Silva strengthening their claims for the award, doubts have started to emerge among the fans about what will happen if Argentina don't do well in the Copa America.
Here, we take a look at three reasons why Messi has a good chance to win the Ballon d'Or regardless of what happens in the Copa America:
#3 Messi stepped up in the big games for Barcelona
In the matches that have mattered, the Barcelona skipper has performed pretty well. In the UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Manchester United he scored two goals. In the first leg of the semi-finals against Liverpool, he produced one of his best performances in a long time.
Barcelona won all the EL Clasicos this season, and one of the biggest reasons for that was how Messi performed in each and every one of them.
Messi has always been the one to stand up for Barcelona and perform on big occasions; when he has an off day, it seems like the whole team is having a bad day at the office. The influence that Messi has on this Barcelona team is massive.
#2 Forwards are usually preferred for the award
This is one of the biggest factors that could lead to Messi winning this year's Ballon d'Or. There is a clear bias towards forwards among the jury members who vote for the award, and Messi doesn't have the strongest competition in that area.
Cristiano Ronaldo has had a disappointing first season for the Old Lady, and his win in the UEFA Nations League doesn't really make him a favorite for the award. The Portuguese has always been competition for the little Argentine but this season, Messi seems ahead of him comfortably.
The other serious competition he is facing is from Virgil van Djik. The Liverpool center-back has been tremendous this season. He played a crucial part in Liverpool winning the Champions League and he also led Netherlands wonderfully. But we don't often see center-backs winning the Ballon d'Or.
Kylian Mbappe is the other forward who has had a great goal-scoring year, but the Ligue 1 isn't considered to be one of the toughest leagues in the world. That reduces the young Frenchman's chances of winning the award.
So with the lack of competition in the attacking sense, Messi could be the favorite this season.
#1 His incomparable stats
If the Ballon d'Or would have been given away to the player with the most assists and goals, Lionel Messi would win this year's award quite easily. His stats this season look almost unbeatable, and no one is really close to his tally.
The little Argentine has scored 51 goals this season and assisted another 19. That means he has been involved in almost 70 goals, which is absolutely astonishing. Kylian Mbappe is second with 39 goals scored this season and assisting 15.
Messi on many occasions has won Barcelona games single-handedly, and some of his performances have been absolutely magical. The Argentine has carried Barcelona on his shoulders this season, without always getting the results.
The fact that he has won only one trophy might affect his chances of winning the Ballon d'Or this year. But his consistency in front of goal should count for something.
Only time will tell whether Messi will win it or not but right now, he surely is a strong favorite.
